Seventy-seven freelance platforms, agencies and professional communities and 1,900 freelancers joined the Global Survey on Freelancing, the first truly global freelance survey co-sponsored by Agile Talent Collaborative and the University of Toronto, and conducted from March-June 2021.
60% or more of freelancers have enough or too much work, report satisfying relationships with clients, say they’ll meet their financial goals, and remain committed to freelancing. These data fit well with demand trends: over 90% of companies depend on freelancers and plan to increase their use.
Survey shows a spectacularly heterogeneous community: full stack developers and optical computing experts, but also musicians and rocket scientist, architects and engineers, film documentarians and diplomats, physicians and executive coach, I-bankers and airline pilots. Many of our freelance respondents are side-giggers, augmenting their income or trying freelancing out. A full 30% of our freelancers were 50+ Baby Boomers; some making a career-shift, others are in-between jobs. As freelancing grows, the diversity of freelancers by age, gender, location and profession also grows.
Freelancers saw greater opportunity from Covid-19, but also more competition as more talented professionals turned to freelancing part- or full-time.
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